Tuesday, October 23, 2012

She caught our eye as we bounced down the rocky road. Red hair, a golden dress and she was wielding a cane knife like a pro. The fact that Eta was only about 4 and 1/2 feet tall and advanced in years might have added to our interest. Screeching to a halt so as not to miss a photo opportunity to capture this little fireball in action, we then found she was on her way home after hearty work in the field. Pictures are scarce here for people to have so we were not surprised when she requested a copy. She wanted us to meet her family and then sent us home with some newly harvested bananas. Her grand daughter who was visiting from New Zealand explained that her grandpa was not well and was suffering from a urinary tract illness and not expected to live much longer. Over the ensuing months we were able to become friends with this gentle, humble man and his energetic and loving wife. While we are unaware of their religious affiliation, Sikeli had made peace with his life ebbing out and has patiently waited for the Lord to call him home.

77 year old Eta scurried around their home and properties always mindful of her duties and yet sensitive to her husband's needs. Sometimes we would stop by and find him in the care of their daughter while Eta was in town taking fruit to the market to sell. Her children were proud that their mother could still carry on as she always had, harvesting fruit and caring for their compound. Easter Sunday was an especially reverent visit as we shared music and spoke of meeting our Savior again one day. This was a couple who loves family and understands their relationship with their Creator.

Once at the market, she was able to sell the 7 Jackfruit to an Indian man for $30 FJD who would then resell them. Not a bad transaction when you consider $50 FJD/week would be a pretty normal income in Ba for a full-time worker. As she spoke of her wages, she happily acknowledged that paying their tithing would come first before money was used for anything else. Sadly we missed recording her sweetly singing in her birdlike voice some of her favorite hymns to her husband. Should we get to visit Ba again we will want to visit this special couple.

The image of Sister Naicker being carried down the stairs after her eye appointment is easy to pull up in our memories.

In all our mission time we have yet to feel the intensity of appreciation for anything we were able to do as we have felt from Rajamani Naicker. Although we had such limited communication through words, her tears, her smiles, and her kisses on our hand and cheek all spoke to our heart. A few months back, her very attentive niece and caretaker, Pillay, had gingerly asked us for a little help as she was planning on traveling to Australia for a family visit and wanted to leave all in order at the homefront. We were able to gather with some of the youth and their leader, Sis. Nairoqo, to help with some housecleaning and yard care. Such simple service and again, she was most grateful and it was we who were blessed. When we took this photo, Pillay had tears in her eyes when she said; "No one has ever done such a thing for us."

Gratefully, Sister Naicker has now had her second cataract surgery and both eyes should be seeing more clearly -- wish we could see her again and kiss those beautiful brown cheeks.

We first met Sister Mate at the Ba market where she had a meager little display of a few plates of raw ginger, a pumpkin, and occasionally some moli (little juicy citrus, as pictured below).

Sister Mate (right) visits with a friend at the market

On the traditional mat in their visiting room which also serves asindoor kitchen and sleeping room

Prized possessions -- broken mirror and hair pic situated on a lovelycloth covered ancient television that no longer works

Though a member of the LDS Church, when
we met this wonderful grandma she had been attending another church for more than ten years although LDS members had been encouraging her to return. One
day, she told her minister; “I’m going back to my Church.” We began visiting her shortly thereafter and
eventually taught her the Temple Preparation lessons. During that period, she referred her daughter
and granddaughter to the missionaries and both were baptized.

Three generations - Ulamila, Miriama, Mate

One of the blessings grandparents have in Fiji is the ease of having their lives intertwined with extended family. In Sister Mate's case, her 16 year old grand daughter moved in to live with her because Miriama's school was very near and that meant saving precious bus fare everyday. This seemed to work out very well for both and Sister Mate was a great support in sharing her feelings about the gospel with Miriama during our lessons.

While we were teaching Sister Mate, we
noticed her love for the Bible and Book of Mormon and her excitement over them. Her scripture bag went with her to the market every day. She told us that each night she asks
Heavenly Father to wake her up by 3am so she can study the Book of Mormon until
she begins cooking at 5am. She explained
her new-found passionate faith in the Book of Mormon when she said; “Each day before I
begin reading I pray to Heavenly Father and say: What you going to tell me
today? What you want to give me today?
What’s going to come today that I should learn?” Every day, she reported that her prayers were
answered and she was so happy! She told
us: “Today, I love the Book of Mormon. Before I got it, I didn't’ like
reading. But now I love it and read
every day.” We asked her if she
understood the English in the Book of Mormon.
She replied: “Sometimes I don't, but then I just ask Heavenly Father to
help me and I read the passage over and over again until He helps me understand.”

On our last temple preparation lesson, she
bore her testimony of the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ and said; “Because my heart loves the
Book of Mormon, today you talk about the temple and I can see myself there.” We are an island and ocean apart now so we will miss accompanying her to the temple this November, but we too can picture her there beautifully dressed in white and beaming with joy.

Though living in the most humble of conditions, these women exemplify some of the finest traits we hope to acquire. They are living examples of the Savior's invitation: "Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourself of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ" (Book of Mormon, Moroni 10:32).

Monday, October 1, 2012

It was an overnight boat ride on a ferry from Suva to Vanua Levu island, or a short hop on this cute little 17 passenger plane -- we'd take the plane anytime, although it meant scaling our luggage down to the 15kg allowed. During our time in South Africa, other belongings had been ferried up to Taveuni and the missionaries had kindly placed them in our new home. The flight was a beautiful panorama over the aqua sea, past little islands and reef barriers to Savusavu, where we joined about 20 other missionaries for a 2-day conference before going to our new assignment on the neighboring island of Taveuni.

Looking out at the beautiful harbor at Savusavu, we could tell we were going to adjust just fine to our new home if it looked anything like this. It didn't hurt that we enjoyed a delicious meal at a little restaurant with the mission president, his wife, and two other stalwart senior mission couples on that island (one of the men served as a young missionary in Fiji 50 years ago).

The Sofie?

Owing to our proclivity towards sea sickness, we ate no breakfast on the day of our departure and obediently arrived at the dock at 6am in our new truck to board the much maligned "Stinky Sofie" ferry for the 5-hour ride to Taveuni (the missionaries had warned us to arrive on time). But the Sofie was on Fiji time and didn't arrive until about 8:30am. All the bad rap and just look at that ship above, how did she deserve her reputation? Problem was, that cruise ship never came to dock but some of the tourists held their noses high as the real Sofie pulled into view.

A bit tattered and rusty, but how do you like those tarp covered
"first class" passenger decks on top?

All the baggage being "carefully" loaded, as well as cars and flatbed trucks hauling
every imaginable commodity from Viti Levu to the outer islands

Cheeping chicks on their first and last boat ride

Enjoying the opulent accommodations with purse as a pillow
(right next to the life boat which had rusted solidly to the side of the ship)

Prepared for the worst and delighted all went well!

Taveuni coming into view. Rain clouds almost always cover the central mountainous
spine of the 26 mile long and 7 mile wide island.

Unlike many other islands where the Methodist Church is dominant, Taveuni has a very large Catholic population with a large educational and religious compound.

Taveuni is a beautiful island, with little development, few stores, one branch bank, one post office, and one road that circumvents about 2/3 of the island along the coast with little branch roads and trails peeling off to the villages and farmlands. Most people farm Dalo (Taro root), and vegetables in the hills along the edge of the ocean. The interior is highly mountainous with lots of rain which bleeds down to the coast in varying amounts. Beautiful flowers, colorful parrots, and coconut plantations greet you everywhere and the only downside of "paradise" is it is also paradise for bugs and creepy crawly things of every sort.

We live in the Taveuni Estates, Soqulu Village

Vale nei Katherine is our lovely home - much nicer than we need but very few options here. From the deck, we gaze out over the Somosomo Strait towards the island of Vanua Levu and the yard has, among other lovely tropical plants, lots of coconut, banana, papaya, mango, and breadfruit trees.

Hand woven palm fron panels line all the ceilings. We don't like to dwell on just
what "Fijian friends" might also be living up there.

Your bedroom when you come to visit (we'll be sure to have the ironing done before you come)

Our lovely bedroom opening out to the deck. How nice to have the shutters open,
with the sea breeze and ocean surf always present.

Pretty nice place for Pilates each morning . . .

. . . and sewing!

Beautiful views from the deck beyond the banana and coconut trees

Looking across the Somosomo Strait at the northern end of Vanua Levu Island

"Katherine" gets most of her energy needs from solar panels but not enough to power much more than lights and our occasional wash (though we have a small gas powered generator if needed). Ever seen a propane powered refrigerator? As strange as it seems to see a flame at the bottom of your fridge it still somehow creates cold air (well, not real cold). But that's OK since we're fairly isolated from the two stores that exist which carry very little food anyway, so the fridge is never overloaded.

We're a little jumpy about rain after our two floods in Ba, so when it rained heavily during one of our first nights we just enjoyed the assurance that it doesn't flood in Taveuni. However, in the morning we awoke to a thunderous sound that seemed like an angry ocean surf right next door. About a block away we found this sight . . .

Looking downstream

Looking upstream

Only a few hours later at this same lava flow run-off location after the volcanic mountains had shed their excess, and all was calm with hardly any evidence there had been a storm.

Our home is on the western coast about right in the middle of the island and no matter where we're headed, it's always on the coastal road -- since there is no other. While there are a few kilometers of appreciated pavement, most of the road is rough -- bone rattling rough. Keeping your eyes on the road is needed but a challenge because of the beautiful views.

At the right tide level, there are always people out net fishing . . .

. . . and little girls following their example by net fishing in the rivers & streams

Beautiful land and sights everywhere can take your breath away, but as always, the people capture your heart.

Learning early from a good dad on harvesting coconuts for the family

Another attentive father returning to the farm after a visit with granny

Plants obscure the little girl to whom Annie is giving a mint to -- instant friends!

Among the 4 LDS church congregations on the island is a little "start-up group" in a "start-up chapel" in Vuna, the southwestern tip of the island.

The outhouse is awaits water hook-up. That sounds more sophisticated than it really
will be as the water will flush from the toilet to a pit behind.

Just beyond the outhouse is the chapel and when they break for classes, the children stay on a mat, the youth go to the house behind the chapel, the ladies meet under a tree just to the left of the chapel, and the men are invited to "meet under the breadfruit tree" (no mention of the class for dogs, hence the lost look).

The kids were invited to sit on the mat so adults would have a chair

The chapel works great for dry days but unfortunately the wind blown rain from the mountains can make wet days unpleasant, particularly if you're seated on the mountain side of the structure. Tarps are promised, but "on Fiji time".

Primary (children's class) was just finishing when we snapped this photo

In preparation for the upcoming Primary Program, Sister Jale timidly asked if we could obtain "one foolscap" for them. It took some deciphering before we understood that she was asking for a piece of paper ("foolscap" is the old English, 1800's referent for paper). She hoped to have something on which the children could write their feelings about the gospel to be shared in the program. It melted our hearts (again) to realize how few resources these wonderful people have or expect. We've since put together a box of supplies for the children to use in each of the churches here: some paper, scissors, glue, crayons, and home-made play dough.

Missing some of the personal connection we had with friends in Ba, we are particularly grateful to have opportunity to share the gospel with Ela (21) and 17-yr. old Ana.

Beautiful sisters

Meet Taam (pronounced Tom), a baby fruit bat that had fallen from the nest and couldn't yet fly, but he surely could hold on tight with his toes. He was rescued by this same family we were meeting with and had become a house pet. Not so creepy when up close and personal and on your own terms and did you know bats like their ears scratched? When the phone rang, he immediately started squeaking and wouldn't stop until the phone was quiet again. Wish we spoke "batinese" so we would know if the sound hurt his ears or if he was just joining in the chorus. If Taam meets his full potential he'll grow very large but right now he's about 10" long with a wing span of 12" or so.

Tiny Taam

There's no "instruction book" for us to follow in our work so we move along discovering how to best help the Church and members in this area. In addition to teaching and mentoring leaders, we've spent much time helping to organize and sort through stacks of outdated church resource materials. Lucky our backs are strong because the Fijians have no "throw away" ethic.

When we heard "Meke" at our favorite "one stop shopping center", our ears perked up and we got the details of a pending celebration of the 149th anniversary of Catholic missionaries landing on Taveuni. The celebration actually focused on whole villages presenting themselves to the priest along with their annual $5/christened person levy for the year (this year they hoped to buy a new van with the money). Has there ever been such a happy people all joining together to pay their religious contribution?

Among the hundreds gathered, we found this native costumed group awaiting their turn to perform. Coconut oil shined on their rich brown skin, ash marked their cheeks and dried fern wreathed their arms. Traditions of so many kinds unite this culture.

Cuteness comes in all colors!

Ice cream cones seem to be in many hands as we drive through town. Wondering why, it dawned on us that since there are no public utilities on the island, a scoop from the generator-powered freezer at the store would be the only source of such a delightful treat for all ages.

After finishing their treats, perhaps they'll make a visit to the country club?

Charming and warm, Marika Lesuma is the presiding Church officer on the islands of Taveuni and Vanua Levu. He seemed apologetic when inviting us over for dinner as we would "only have fish and vegetables." The Lesuma family was seated in a circle on a mat when we arrived, waiting for us to come with a Family Home Evening lesson. Focusing on the "plan of salvation" (where we came from, why God created us and sent us to earth, and what happens after we die) with this loving family, we shared Because They Love Us, a book Tom wrote for the grand children last year. The book includes pictures of our family and grandchildren and they loved seeing them and hearing about each family. President Lesuma then asked 3 of the children to share their testimonies, and then each person shared any concerns they had on their mind or help they felt was needed which the whole family could be prayerful about -- so loving and uniting!

Fijians take special pride in sharing meals with others and we had no idea that his wife, Aqela, was a professional chef. The meal was absolutely delicious and they insisted we sit at a table and eat with utensils - something we rarely do in Fijian homes where the norm is floor sitting and eating with your fingers.

Two kinds of delicious fish cooked in batter with onions and covered with a coconut cream sauce served over a bed of water cress. Yummy yellow Dalo (lots of varieties of Taro on the island), steamed pumpkin, and sautéed cabbage with tomatoes and onions. Fabulous feast!

Lesuma family with two house guests. We found it's a rare meal with only their
family - they regularly invite others over.

For an activity after dinner we had checked at every store on the island for dice to play a game with. As none were to be found, stones, styrofoam, and wood were all experimented with -- necessity is the mother of creativity, and they worked just fine!

A few days later, we joined President Lesuma and another senior couple to tend to some Church business on Rabi island, about an hour away by motor boat. We left sea sickness worries in the boat wake and absolutely loved the opportunity to skim across the sea, visit another island, and meet with some dedicated church leaders.

Joined by 10 year old Joe Lesuma who earned this trip after
doing exceptionally well on a math exam

Elder Muir and his wife returned to Fiji 50 years after serving his first mission

On their peaceful way after a day of fishing

A true dugout outrigger --
on land

and on sea

Heading for shore

Welcoming committee

Court was in session

Main road and only road

LDS church in Rabi-spacious and adequate for now

Lovely laundry and most always hand washed

On the way home we enjoyed a delicious meal provided by members --
fried fish, dalo, and breadfruit all cooked over an open fire with a wonderful smoky flavor

Flying on the high seas

Departing in time to make it back before low tide, we skimmed along until the captain cited a school of giant manta rays swimming just beneath the surface over the reef with their mouths wide open. A storm was coming and it was perfect hunting conditions for them. We had hoped to see some of the famous "spinner dolphins" as well but no luck on this trip. It was a unique and amazing day -- how could we ever have imagined such richness of experience? That night we joined the Muirs at the resort they were staying at for dinner and watched the evening show:

A beautifully decorated post at the Garden Island Resort

Did you know that the 180 degree "dateline" meridian runs through the middle of Taveuni? Were it not for some benevolent soul who orchestrated a "fudging of the line", our island would literally exist in both today and yesterday simultaneously.

Holding hands "across time"

A few flowers and the almost daily sunsets to wish you well on your journey -- we send our love to each of you: